We will be in London for several days in September and would love to visit Charleston, Vanessa Bell's house in Lewes that was a country home of the Bloomsbury group. It features lovely gardens and a variety of arts and crafts. We will not have a car. Has anyone made the trip using the train or went on a day tour from London? Would appreciate learning about your experience.
Posted by
Brighton, UK
1421 posts
Getting to Lewes by train from London is simple. There are regular trains from Victoria which take just over an hour. Alternatively you can get a train from London Bridge and change at Brighton which takes a bit longer.
From Lewes railway station it’s slightly trickier. You need to walk to the bus station (about 5 minutes) and catch a 125 bus towards Eastbourne. The timetable for this journey is here, and you’ll see they aren’t frequent!
https://www.compass-travel.co.uk/download/east-sussex-bus-services/125.pdf
The bus drops you at Charleston Drive and the house itself is about a 10-15 minute walk.
My partner was actually at Charleston on Monday as there was a literary festival. She got a bus one way and a taxi back. The taxi cost £20 and they had booked it in advance for a specific time. This might be worth considering.
Cheers
Alan
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks, Alan. We’ll check out your recommendations.